He wants to keep as much money as he can especially in these tough times and Odom wants to get as much as he can, which isn't wrong also. they both have to reach some sort of compromise, and if not, Odom will have to settle for the MLE outside somewhere else which makes him a huge loser at that point, or he can retire with dignity, which also makes him a huge loser in millions of dollars.

I guarantee you the Lakers offered Odom more than what the the MLE offers (who knows how much more but it has to be more than MLE). No other team can or will offer him more than what the Lakers put down on the table (Portland is not going after Odom - they already made that clear).

Odom's choices are either to sign with the Lakers or take the high-way that Ariza took for "pride." He still ended up with less money than what the Lakers put on the table by going after "respect" - Thanks David Lee S.O.B.. Odom wants less money and go to a team that may not even be a championship contender? Fine with me.